The MACMudiad Amddiffyn Cymru (Welsh Defence Movement), abbreviated as MAC, was a Welsh republican movement, modelled to some degree on the Irish Republican Army, which was responsible for a number of bombing incidents between 1963 and 1969.
MAC was initially set up in response to the flooding of the Afon Tryweryn valley and the drowning of the village of Capel Celyn to provide water for Liverpool. Its founders were Owain Williams, John Albert Jones and Emyr Llywelyn Jones. On 10 February 1963 a transformer at the dam construction site was blown up by three men, of whom one, Emyr Llywelyn Jones was identified, convicted and sentenced to one year's imprisonment. MAC blew up an electricity pylon at Gellilydan on the day of his conviction. This led to the arrest and conviction of Owain Williams and John Albert Jones.
The effective leadership of the organization was later taken over by John Barnard Jenkins, a non-commissioned officer in the British Army. Under his leadership, MAC is widely suspected by British police to have been behind the bombing of the Clywedog dam construction site in 1966. In 1967 a pipe carrying water from Lake Vyrnwy to Liverpool was blown up. Later the same year MAC exploded a bomb at the Temple of Peace and Health in Cardiff's civic centre, close to a venue which was to be used for a conference to discuss the Investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales. In 1968 a tax office in Cardiff was blown up, followed the same year by the Welsh Office building in the same city, then another water pipe at Helsby, Cheshire. In April 1969 a tax office in Chester was the next target. On 30 June 1969, the evening before the investiture, two members of MAC, Alwyn Jones and George Taylor, were killed when a bomb they had been intending to place on the railway line at Abergele, in order to stop the Royal Train from getting through to Caernarfon, exploded prematurely. In actuality, at the time the bomb was being placed, the Royal Train had already passed Abergele and was parked at a guarded remote site. In November 1969 John Jenkins was arrested, and in April 1970 was convicted of eight offences involving explosives and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. Although there were further bombings, there is no evidence that MAC were involved.
The Free Wales ArmyThe
Free Wales Army (Welsh: Byddin Rhyddid Cymru) was a paramilitary Welsh nationalist organisation, formed out of Lampeter, West Wales by William Julian Cayo-Evans in 1963 as a replacement for the then supposedly moribund Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru.
The Byddin consisted of a number of commanding units leading a structure of ranks and volunteers. These commanding units were often isolated and worked within the tight precepts of army directives. Activities were largely limited to training in the Welsh countryside armed with surplus IRA equipment, and small–scale operations. Although the media treated this surreptitious movement with some ridicule, the authorities took them seriously enough to bring court action against the leading figures in 1969, resulting in lengthy prison sentences for them.
Eryr WenThe Army's motto was "Fe godwn ni eto", Welsh for "We shall rise again". Its crest was Eryr Wen, a white eagle mounted on dark green shield, commonly seen in shorthand.
Their objective was to establish an independent Welsh republic which had the sole allegiance of all her citizens. The Byddin's White Eagle of Eryri symbol became a familiar sight painted on walls and bridges throughout Wales.
The exact number of active members is unknown. Conservative estimates approximate the membership at 50, whilst at its most popular the byddin claimed a nationwide network consisting of 2000 active members and many more sympathisers. However, in August 1968 only 200 volunteers attended the Abergewsyn training camp, indicating that the actual membership was probably between the two figures.
All volunteers wore a bottle-green peaked cap or beret with eagle crest. A bottle-green combat jacket, civilian trousers, neck scarf, combat boots, and bottle-green webbing belt rounded out the uniform for Privates and NCOs and black or leather webbing belt with peaked officers' cap for officers.
The color of the beret and neck scarf varied depending on the area of operation of the soldier's attachment.
General service dress uniform consisted of a dark green blazer with an eagle crest.
The smallest unit of the army was the section, comprised of six volunteers. This was the basis of army organisation in any area. The section volunteers lived in close proximity, and were available for service at short notice. At this level the section commander (highest ranking officer) worked closely with the company adjutant to oversee operations in their Cantref.
Four sections formed one district platoon. Four platoons formed one area company.
So as to avoid overlap of operations the commander in chief split Wales into five areas of operation each made up of their respective Cantrefi:
Gogledd Orllewin (North West Wales): Brown
Gogledd Ddwyrain (North East Wales): Red
Canolbarth (Central Wales): Green
De Orllewin (South West Wales): Black
De Ddwyrain (South East Wales): Blue
Meibion GlyndŵrMeibion Glyndŵr (The Sons of Glyndŵr) was a Welsh nationalist movement violently opposed to the loss of Welsh culture and language. They were formed in response to the housing crisis precipitated by large numbers of second homes being bought by the English which had pushed up house prices beyond the means of many locals. They were responsible for setting fire to English-owned holiday homes in Wales from 1979 to the mid 1990s.
The group first came to prominence in 1979. In the first wave of attacks, eight English-owned holiday homes were destroyed within the first month. Within the next 10 years around 220 properties were damaged by the campaign. It peaked in the late 1980s with the targeting of Conservative MPs' homes and David Hunt, the then Welsh secretary, was a target in 1990.
Responsibility for the bombings had been taken by four separate movements: Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru (the movement to defend Wales), Cadwyr Cymru (the keepers of Wales), Meibion Glyndŵr and The Welsh Army for the Workers Republic (WAWR). However, Meibion Glyndŵr has been the only group to have had any claim to long-term success, although since the mid-1990s this group has been inactive and Welsh nationalist violence has ceased, at least on an organisational level.
Siôn Aubrey RobertsA reinvestigation into postal bombings led to the conviction of Siôn Aubrey Roberts with the use of DNA testing in 1993. Many cases still remain unresolved.
It has been claimed in recent times, that they were in fact an MI5 front, or run by agents provocateurs. Evidence for this theory is not forthcoming.
Activities:1979-94: Meibion Glyndŵr fire-bomb around 220 English-owned homes.
1989: Meibion Glyndŵr declared that "every white settler is a target". The group also placed incendiary bombs in Conservative party offices in London and estate agents' offices in London, Liverpool, Sutton Coldfield and Haverfordwest.
1990: Poet and priest R. S. Thomas calls for a campaign to deface English-owned homes.
1993: Siôn Aubrey Roberts, an alleged member of Meibion Glyndŵr, was jailed for nine years for sending letter bombs to Conservative politicians.
